On the seventh anniversary of the first inmate arriving at Guantanamo Bay, protests took place around the world for its closure. In Washington DC a rally also marked the start of a nine day fast by 60 protesters, in support of US president-elect Barack Obama keeping is campaign pledge of closing the prison. Al Jazeera spoke with one of the people participating in the fast – Bud Courtney of New York City. This is his view – in his own words.